When buildings are constructed the builder uses joists for supporting the floors of the building. The opposed ends of the joists are typically supported on the foundation of the building or on studs. The joists are typically made of wood and support floor boards, that when installed form a floor.
However, the exposed joists are not visually appealing, and exposed joists are not suitable for professional settings, for example offices. Thus to conceal the joists builders install acoustical/drop ceilings (sometimes called hanging ceilings). Drop/acoustical ceilings are complex and difficult to install because the angles and dimensions of the room, for example the internal length and width of the room, and thus careful planning is required prior to installing the drop/acoustical ceiling. In addition, the actual construction of the drop/acoustical ceiling is complex. The drop/acoustical ceilings are made from a plurality of components. For example, the drop/acoustical ceiling requires the installation of main runners that extend from one side of the room to the other side of the room, and in most instances the main runners need to be parallel to one another. The main runners are supported from hanger wires, and the joists support the hanger wires. In addition, the main runners are supported at their ends by wall angles that are connected to the walls of the room. To add structural stability, T-connectors are installed and connect one main runner to another main runner such that the T-connectors are perpendicular to the main runners. The main runners and T-connectors support ceiling tiles.
Workers use string when they are installing drop/acoustical ceilings. The string is situated such that it is close or proximal to the main runner, and the string serves as a reference for the workers. The string is pulled tight by the workers and connected to the wall angles so that the string is at a right angle relative to each of the opposed walls of the room. The workers can then detect if the ceiling is angle relative to each of the opposed walls of the room. The workers can detect if the ceiling is square by visually comparing the main runner to the string line. If the main runner is out of square the workers can then adjust the main runners to the string-line until the strings are parallel with one another. However, the process of installing and moving the string relative to the main runners requires two (2) workers.
What is needed is a device that allows one worker to quickly install, use, and remove the squaring string. The device ought to be easy to use, accurate, and inexpensive to manufacture.